Apparatus for making mottled floor coverings



March 11, 1930. N. L. CAMPBELL 1,750,567

APPARATUS FOR MAKING MOTTLED FLOOR COVERINGS Original Filed April 16. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l b. 8 um n 1 :a s H I Invenl'or Null Ca mMMWM Patented Mar. 11, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE NEIL L. CAMPBELL, OF SALEM, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR '10 MANNINGTON MILLS, INCL, 0F SALEM, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY APPARATUS FOR MAKING MOTTLED FLOOR COVERINGS Original application filed April 16, 1928. Serial No. 270,346. Divided and this application filed April' 2, 1929. Serial No. 351,985.

This present application is a division of application Serial No. 270,346, filed April 16, 1928.

This invention relates to an apparatus for producing a mottled form of design on the face of a floor covering.

The specific type of floor covering employed is that having a felt or simllar composite base, on one face of WhlCh the design is formed by applying paints of suitable ingredients and colors thereto, and thereafter working the paints in such a manner that the various shades and colors are interspersed over the surface to form the desired mottled design.

In the production of the deslgn I prefer to use high grade enamel paints, thereby pro ducing a high gloss finish without the use of lacquers or varnish of any kind as a fin ishing agent.

While the method of producing this form of design may be carried out on various forms of coating and printing machines I have chosen, for the purpose of illustration, the commonly used and well-known block printing machine as diagrammatically illustrated in the accompanying drawings, of which:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation of a block printing machine equlpped to produce the mottled design in accordance with the principles of my invention; 7

Fig. 2 is a inverted plan view of certain portions of the apparatus shown in F 1g. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a face view of a portion of the floor covering showing the mottled design produced by the apparatus illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

The block printing machine is of the type commonly employed in the production of floor coverings, having a table or platen 1 over which a web of base material m is drawn in intermittent steps by suitable means, usually a pair of flexible steel bands having vertically projecting pins which pierce the base material immediately adjacent its opposite longitudinal edges. By this means the base material is positively and successlvely registeredwith each of a series of vertically reciprocable printing blocks 2, 3, 4 and 5.

Adjacent each of the printing blocks is a color pan 6, 7, 8 and 9 respectively, which are equipped with color rolls 10. Each of the color pans is adapted to be reciprocated under its respective printing block while the latter is maintained in its elevated position, and while the base material is being moved in one of its intermittent steps thereunder, the color roll 10 of each'pan engaging the under side, or printing face, of the printing block with which it cooperates.

In producing the mottled design according to the principles of my invention I form on the underside, or printing face, of the first printing block 2 a series of short irregularly formed wave-like veins or fins 11 which are haphazardly arranged and spaced thereon but which extend in a general direction longitudinally of the machine and the web of base material.

On the next printing block 3 I produce a series of rectilinear fins or veins 12 which also extend in a general direction longitudinally of the machine and the web of base material. These veins or fins 12 may be regularly or irregularly spaced across the machine as desired, depending upon the result to be attained.

Adjacent the printing block 3 I rotatably mount, in bearings fixed to the side frames of the machine, a roll 13 which is adapted to engage the paint carrying face of the web of base material in.

Adjacent the roll 13 I non-rotatably mount, on the frame of the machine, a secadapted to move in the direction of the arrow .2, Fig. 1.

According to the process for forming the mottled design in accordance with the principles of my invention, I place in the first color pan (5 an enamel paint of a desired color and shade. In the second color pan 7 I place a second enamel paint preferably of the same color but of a lighter shade than the paint carried by the pan 6.

As the block printing machine is operated, in the usual manner, the color rolls 10, 10 of the respective pans 6 and 7 deposit a supply of color on the fins 11 and 12 of the respective printing blocks 2 and 3, after which the printing blocks are lowered, by the action of their operating cams (not shown), until the said fins 11 and 12 engage the upper surface of the web ac, thereby depositing the supply of paint carried by the lower edges of the fins on the said surface of the web. The blocks are then raised and the color pans reciprocated thereunder to deposit a fresh supply of paint to the said fins. At the same time the web 00 is moved a distance substantially equal to the smallest dimension of the printing blocks.

Considering the section g of the web 00 lying immediately below the printing block 2, as shown in Fig. 1, the first operation of the printing block 2 causes the irregular veins or fins 11 thereof to deposit irregularly spaced gobs of paint on the web a. The Web at is then moved to a position intermediate the printing blocks 2 and 3, after which the next operation of the printing block 2 deposits a similar series of gobs of paint on the web m immediately adjacent the said transverse strip 3 and in registry therewith.

On the next operation the strip 3 moves under and is registered with the printing block 3 and upon the next descending operation of this block the regular rectilinear fins 12 thereof will deposit the paint carried thereby in corresponding straight longitudinally extending lines on the web, in superimposed relation to the irregular gobs of paint deposited by the fins 11 of the block 2.

The strip :1 then passes under the rotatable roll 13 which operates to initially intersperse the deposited colors, thereby obliterating the sharp defining lines between the various paintdeposits.

The strip g then passes under the drag cloth 15 which produces the final mottled state of the design and totally obliterates any transversely extending lines of demarkation between the successively deposited and registered sections g of the face of the web m, which may have been produced by the printing blocks 2 and 3 as they successively deposited the paint on the immediately adjoining strips y.

\Vhile I have shown but two printing blocks preceding the interspersing roll 13, obvious- 1y any desired number of blocks may be employed, depending upon the result desired.

Suitable border or other designs may be superimposed upon the mottled base design by the printing blocks succeeding the drag cloth 15, such as the blocks 4 and 5, but the invention which it is desired to cover in this application is the production of the mottled base design itself, regardless of any other design which may be superimposed thereon.

Obviously while I have shown and described the invention as being effected on a block printing machine, the operations may be carried out on a machine in which the platen or table 1 is in the form of a cylinder around which the web m may be carried, with the printing blocks, interspersing roll, and drag cloth placed at intervals around the periphery of the platen cylinder.

The drag cloth produces various indistinct lines of various widths and shades which blend into each other in the finished product, and this general blended line effect obtains in a substantially uniform manner throughout the length of the continuous strip of floor covering thus produced and lends itself to effecting a pleasant matching of the adjacent edges of strips which may be cut at angles, as in mitred corners when the floor covering is employed as a rug border in rooms, etc.

If desired the roll 13 may be eliminated, whereupon the drag cloth 15 will effect the interspersing and blending of the colors in a single operation, however, I prefer to effect the initial interspersing of the colors by the interspersing roll 13.

I claim:

1. In a printing machine for floor coverings and the like the combination of a plurality of printing elements adapted to engage the surface of a web of base material passing between said printing elements and an adjacently positioned platen, a series of irregularly shaped printing fins on one of said printing elements, a series of rectilinear printing fins on another of said printing elements, means for supplying paint to the web engagin surfaces of said printing fins, and means or interspersing and blending the paint deposits placed on the Web by said printing fins.

2. In a printing machine for floor coverings and the like the combination of a plurality of printing elements adapted to engage the surface of'a web of base material passing between said printing elements and an adjacently positioned platen, a series of irregularly shaped printing fins on one of said printing elements, a series of rectilinear printing fins on another of said printing elements, means for supplying paint to the web engaging surfaces of said printing fins, and a drag cloth adapted to engage, intersperse, and blend the paint deposits as the said web is moved relative to printing elements.

3. In a printing machine for floor coverings and the like the combination of a plurality of printing elements adapted to engage the surface of a web of base material passing between said printing elements and an adjacently positioned platen, a series of irregularly shaped printing fins on one of said printing elements, a series of rectilinear printing fins on another of said printing elements, means for supplying paint to the web engaging surfaces of said printing fins, a roll adapted to engage the surface of the web and initially intersperse the aint deposits thereon, and a drag cloth a apted to engage said surface and thereby effect a final interspersing and blending of the said paint deposits over the surface of the web.

4. In a block printing machine, the combination with a plurality of printing blocks adapted to engage intermittently and successively a web of base material passing in intermittent steps thereunder and means for applying paint to the printing surfaces of said blocks, of a series of wave-like fins on the printing surface of one of said blocks, a series of rectilinear fins on the printing surface of another of said blocks, and means for interspersing and blending the paint deposits over the surface of said web.

5. In a block printing machine, the combination with a plurality of printing blocks adapted to engage intermittently and successlvely a web of base material passing in intermittent steps thereunder and means for applying paint to the printing surfaces of said blocks, of a series of wave-like fins on the printing surface of one of said blocks, a series of rectilinear fins on the printing surface of another of said blocks, and a drag cloth adapted to engage the surface of said web for interspersing and blending the paint deposits over the surface of the web.

6. In a block printing machine, the combination with a plurality of printing blocks adapted to engage intermittently and successlvely a web of base material passing in intermittent steps thereunder and means for applying paint to the printing surface of said blocks, of a series of wave-like fins on the printing surface of one of said blocks, a series of rectilinear fins on the printing surface of another of said blocks, a roll adapted to engage the surface of said web for iniv tially interspersing the paint deposits thereon, and a drag cloth adapted to engage said surface for efiecting a final interspersing and blending of said paint deposits over the surface of said web.

7. In a block printing machine, the combination with a series of printing blocks adapted to engage intermittently and successively a web of base material passing in in termittent steps thereunder and means for, applying paint to said printing surfaces, of a series of irregular wave-like fins on the of said web, a roll adapted.

to engage the surface of said web for initially interspersing the superimposed paint deposits thereon, and a drag cloth adapted to engage said surface for effecting a final interspersing and blending of said paint deposits over the surface of the web.

NEIL L. CAMPBELL. 

